The idea of planning ahead has been around since man started thinking about his future. The first time he pulled out a map and traced his finger along an imaginary line, he was planning for tomorrow.
Even though we’re more sophisticated at it these days, most people are still terrible at actually achieving the goals they plan for themselves. That’s because they don’t have a system in place to train their brains to make the right priorities. We need to do better — much better!
Research shows that the average person only achieves their goals about 10% of the time. We like to spend time planning, but we have no follow-through.
I’m no different…
A couple of months ago, I decided to do a 30-day reels challenge. I was INSANELY busy at the time — onboarding a new client, building out new modules for FUR Social Academy, and having some serious health issues.
The life of an entrepreneur, right?
So I knew the basic gist — just post a new reel, about anything, every single day for a month.
But, I thought to myself — there’s just no way I can batch that many all at once right now. So I only did one. I can do the next one tomorrow, right? And then I kind of just…didn’t.
I proceeded to miss almost every day of the challenge. I did what most people do. Most people set a goal and then it starts to slip little by little. Before they know it, the gap between what they’re doing and what they want to accomplish gets larger and larger. Until finally, they fall completely off the wagon.
Sound familiar?
There’s a reason WHY only about 10% of people are likely to hit their goals — and it’s not what you think. It’s not because you’re incapable or undisciplined, it’s because you DON’T have a goal achievement system.
I do.
And it works.
Unfortunately, I didn’t use it during that 30-day reels challenge…lesson learned.
So if you’re ready to bust through what’s holding you back and predictably and reliably hit your goals 80% of the time, all you have to do is follow this system.
If you want to take this to the next level, identify ONE goal you’ve been wanting to reach and write it down now before you keep reading.
Let’s dive in…
Make It A Commitment
The first step to increasing your chances of achieving your goals is to simply make a conscious commitment to everything that goal requires.
This is the first reason I failed at completing my Reels Challenge. There was a process in place that I needed to follow, and I choose not to follow it. Instead, I made adjustments here and there. I made excuses for why I didn’t want to do one step or another exactly as prescribed. I didn’t commit.
Research shows that you can double your chances of success by simply making an active, conscious commitment to perform the actions needed to achieve your goals.
Make Yourself Publicly Accountable
Now that you’ve increased your chances of success from 10% to 20%, let’s double that again. The next step is to take that commitment you have made and tell someone else about it. (Specifically, someone who will care.)
Research shows that having an accountability partner or being part of a community that shares goals and holds each other accountable for achieving them can greatly increase your chances of success.
When you were in school, how much less likely do you think you would have been to do your homework if the teacher never required you to turn it in? Would you have still completed your tests if they didn’t have any effect on your grade?
Yea, me neither.
You may not have anyone grading your work now as a pet professional, but your brain is still wired the same way. Telling yourself you’re going to update your Influencer Media Kit might be an important goal, but it’s going to pack a lot more punch if you’ve told someone else you’re going to show it to them.
Put It On Your Calendar
You’re already way ahead of the game. By committing to your goal and telling someone else about it, you have about a 40% chance of actually getting it done.
Now let’s make that 80%…
The last step to seal the deal and maximize your chances of achieving your goal is to schedule an appointment to solidify your deadline. This is a follow-up meeting with your accountability partner or group where you will share what actions you have taken and whether you have achieved your goal.
Using the Influencer Media Kit example, how likely are you to have it updated and ready to go by your deadline if you have scheduled a zoom call where you will look over it and discuss the changes?
No matter how big or small your goals are, running each one through this same system will give you the best chances of achieving the results you want.
How To Plan & Achieve Your Goals
Now you have a solid system to 8x your chances of achieving your goals in 2024, but how do you decide which goals are worth achieving in the first place?
If you want to go beyond setting single goals and create an entire plan for your pet business, I’m here to help.
Every year, I do a 1-hour workshop for the FUR Social Insiders Club on how to get everything you want in the next year.
This workshop goes over exactly how to decide what your goals are, how to prioritize what’s important to you so that your business goals don’t overshadow the lifestyle that you want to live, and how to determine exactly how much time that leaves you every month to take action on the projects you need to do to make your goals a reality. Head here to watch the 2024 planning workshop now.
